The mass timber process dictated a high-tech workflow where a precise digital model generated wooden physical components which were delivered for assembly. Passive-house principles inform the high-performance envelope, with intensive insulation, “smart” air sealing, and triple-glazed wood windows. ERVs ensure fresh air. Overhead sleek energy-efficient LEDs cleave to the exposed wood in a fusion of natural and contemporary. EV chargers accompany city-required parking spaces. Photovoltaic panels on the roof power common areas.

Society is ditching fossil fuel. We use only electricity for heating, hot water, and cooking, utilizing the grid’s renewable energy sources. As the structure’s exposed wood sets a harmonious interior atmosphere, the apartments require fewer interior finishes. Low-carbon material choices abound: exterior roof decking and interior flooring are renewable softwood. Kitchen countertops are thin sheets of porcelain. The building exterior responds to its surroundings. Handmade clay bricks echo the block’s brownstones, and the first two floors reflect their proportions.

Rising, the walls open up with glazing to admit sunlight and views. The building’s design radiates an organic sense of life, setting a new standard for sustainable design. As in the natural world, our design manifests simple forms across multiple scales and levels of visual complexity, balancing moments of irregularity within a set of rules. As natural sunlight radiates across the wood grain of the apartment interiors, recombinant-patterned porcelain tiles evoke cellular growth within intricate, interlocking patterns.

Timber House demonstrates that sustainable multifamily buildings can deliver resident comfort and well-being with efficiency and beauty.